‘Lakeside always was and is about the people’

Kendra Kiser, then a student at Henry Ford II High School, looks over some Christmas merchandise with her mother, Julie, at JC Penney in Lakeside Mall on Thanksgiving, 2018. (MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO)

The closure of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights after 47 years as a destination spot for shopping, eating and socialization has stirred up fond memories for many Macomb County residents.

From going to see first-run movies to shopping for new seasonal wardrobes to roaming with friends through the 1.5 million square feet of retail space spanning two floors, the shopping center seemed to have something for everyone.

We asked Macomb Daily readers to share some of their memories of the facility on Hall Road (M-59) and received dozens of thoughtful responses, along with a few flip ones.

What follows is a sample of the responses, which have been edited for space and clarity.

• Colleen Reichert of Rochester Hills

I grew up about a mile away from Lakeside Mall. New school clothes, dresses for weddings, funerals, big birthdays, high school graduation, formal events and professional ones.

I can still hear my mom whisper to my elementary-aged self “would you like to get a Mrs. Fields Cookie?” My eyes and excitement stretching to the size of one of those giant indulgences. Speaking of indulgences, the amount of money my mom must have spent on me at Lakeside could fill a mint I’m sure.  She had a way of falling in love with clothes and that was it before the salesgirl wrapped it up.  Now I’m a mom myself, I understand it was not so much her love for the clothes, but her love for me.

My dad, (the late state) Sen. Douglas Carl, loved serving the people of Macomb County in the legislature. He wanted to be accessible to constituents, so he brilliantly procured an office right inside Lakeside Mall. As of today, the “Carl blue” walls of that office still stand behind padlocks 27 years since his passing. I avoided that corner of the mall for years after dad’s office was closed, but I certainly didn’t avoid the mall entirely.

As teenagers, my best friends and I logged hundreds of hours spraying perfume, drinking coffee, trying sunglasses, stalking cute boys, rifling through CDs, people watching and just generally coming of age.

Lakeside is and was so much more than a mere shopping mall. It was a Macomb County institution where the community came together, helped each other, built stronger relationships and prepared for the biggest celebrations in life. Lakeside always was and is about the people. So to all the people that ever worked or shopped there: thank you.  You made it what it was and what it will always be in our memories.

I saw the first movie I ever remember seeing in the theater: “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” I was 6 years old and a huge Trekkie even then. I remember mostly flashes from that night; the “Enterprise” leaving dock, the battle at the end, loving the uniforms. However, my last memory is of walking out, with my parents holding my hands. I looked back at the mall as I was getting into the car.

I have two children who are grown adults now; my daughter now a school teacher and my son a chef in North Carolina.

Lakeside Mall to close Sunday: one era ends, a new one begins

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My kids always enjoyed going to Lakeside Mall to walk around and window shop with me and spend time playing on the “Bacon and Eggs” play scape. It was absolutely my children’s fun way to spend a weekend morning, or go when Santa Claus was at the mall for the Christmas holiday season. We hold very fond memories! My mom’s microwave came from Sears at Lakeside in 1979 and she had the same microwave for 44 years until last November. Our family will surely miss the indoor style mall.

My first job through high school co-op was at Crowley’s. I also met my husband there and we’ve been married 44 years now.

Going to the Disney store — I wish the Disney store was still open

In 1992, my third-grade classmates and I sang “A Whole New World” smack dab in the middle-of-the-mall with a Disney Renaissance in full effect.

Growing up and going to Macomb Mall, then being able to visit a bi-level mall? Lakeside was a game-changer.

The year they first opened, I would catch a movie then dine at The Magic Pan. In 1977, I bought my sewing machine there at Sears. At that time Hall Road was two lanes and between Groesbeck and Lakeside Mall it was farmland.

Going on dates with my boyfriend at the time. Grabbing lunch and going to class at Macomb Community College. Shopping with my mom at JC Penney and Macy’s, and walking through the mall at Christmas time.

• Debbie Reynolds Rosenthal

My aunt had cancer and my sister and I flew in from different states to probably hug her for the last time. We grew up in East Detroit (now Eastpointe) and frequently spent hours at the mall. We stayed at the hotel across Gratiot. We ventured into the mall looking for the right gift for our aunt. She unwrapped a beautiful sparkling snow globe playing “You Are So Beautiful to Me.” My cousin has the globe now.

This may be a memory for a lot of people but I remember shopping with my mom and grandparents whenever my mom, Nana (my mom’s mom) and I would go off shopping Papa (my mom’s dad) would go find a nice comfortable seat with a newspaper on the ground floor couches, a common waiting area for middle to senior aged men waiting patiently for whoever they came with to finish, what felt like or possibly was hours, of shopping.

When the three of us were done we’d usually find Papa sawing logs, head back and a newspaper in his lap or in his hands on his lap.